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Dear Sacha,
There
is always some apprehension when trying something new, whether it's the
oft quoted fear of the unknown or because the old works and we're
comfortable with it. We know the routine of the old and it has
practically become a habit. Besides, the new isn't always better
than the old, right?
Unfortunately walking the safe road isn't without its own risks. The new could be that much better. It could be that much easier. It could bring you all the savings and efficiency everyone keeps hoping for from the Internet.
I
have a friend who recently lived through the change from an old EDI
system to a new one. This new system had been in development for
five years. Almost from day one everyone at her workplace hated
it. Unfortunately, in their case it was justified. Reports
were run and orders were submited and they'd either come up wrong or
went lost altogether. It was really a matter of luck if anything
worked right. My friend's boss became so frustrated that he
nearly took her head off, and she hadn't even begun working there when
the new system was ordered.
Even today a customized system can be a curse rather than a blessing.
Enter on-demand services.
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| On-Demand |
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Minimize your risk
Today we call it either on-demand or SaaS
(Software as a Service), not to be confused with the State Associations
of Addiction Services. The idea is simple: instead of spending
considerable sums of money to own a software or a product, you pay a
nominal fee to have access to it.
A popular example to
illustrate this difference is buying an aircraft versus buying a seat
on a commercial airline. Owning the aircraft has certain
advantages, to be sure, but at what cost? If that weren't costly
enough, there is still the maintenance cost of the aircraft to
consider. Sharing the cost of travel with others on the same
aircraft will also get you from Point A to Point B, and this at a
miniscule fraction of the cost.
The ElectronicTender System
(ETS) operates on this principle. You face minimal costs - as
little as a few thousand dollars - and you get to work with a
multi-million dollar system immediately.
Because everyone who
uses the ETS shares the cost, you gain access to an amazing product at
a price you won't expect. This can very quickly give rise to the
suspicious thought, "This is too good to be true." If you were
buying our system, you'd be right. Remember, however, that you're
not buying the ETS. You are renting it. At these prices nobody
can actually afford to sell you a product like the ETS.
So,
you've paid your fee. What next? You begin using the
system! There is no development time and there is no
implementation time. The ETS doesn't need to be installed on your
computers. As long as you have an Internet connection you can log
on and work. It's that simple.
This minimzes the risk to
you because, for a minimal outlay, you get to work with the live
product. It's not a product demonstration or a trial run.
There are no disclaimers that this product may not be the same as the
one you will see implemented. Should it prove that the ETS is not
quite what you were looking for, you've lost almost nothing.
That's certainly a much better outlook than waiting five years for a system that causes you nothing but headaches.
To learn more about the ETS please visit us at http://www.yserinc.com/ and don't hesitate to click the login button at the top of the page.
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A Few Links |
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 Some extra information
In
case you're interested in finding out more about SaaS or on-demand
computing, here are a few places to get some additional insight:
An opinion from Bill McNee of Saugatuck Technologies.
Answers about on-demand computing by Stephen Morris.
Last but not least, the SaaSCon.
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On-demand
is a remarkable concept that seems to hold nothing but advantages, but
any service can be lackluster, or even dangerous, if it isn't carried
out correctly. The danger I'm talking about here is security.
Today
the Internet and security (concerns) have become almost synonymous,
which is as it should be. We wouldn't send checks in the mail to
pay our bills if we didn't believe that the postal service is
secure. Why should it be any different for the Internet?
Next week I will talk about some common security concerns and misconceptions and how the ETS addresses them.
See you then!
Sincerely,
Sacha Hartmann
YSER Inc.
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